Our girls at the ACRL Banquet For Life

'Ya don't see us gussey'ed up like this very often...

Whew!

After 2 weekends of sick kids, 3 days of fever myself, and trying to cover a Shakespeare play & 2 encyclicals with Dd#1 (we only got through the play & 1 encyclical -- my throat couldn't do more than that)... I AM WIPED OUT!

Is the kids doing school supposed to be so exhausting for me????

Helping your child begin to discern his vocation

We are just begginning this process. During this Confirmation year, we'll be jumping into many "adult" concepts. Homeschooling affords us so many options and my ultimate goal in homeschooling is to help her become the person God wants her to be. I only have a blurry vision of what that person will look like (and my vision is colored by what I wish she could be). I'm hoping that by asking God to reveal His vision for her and directly to her before highschool, she'll be more attuned to His voice when he answers. I thought this article was an excellent place to begin.

Happy Birthday to my teen-ager

We threw a football party for Dd#1'2 13th birthday party and had 17 kids here. We couldn't go outside due to FRIGID temperatures, so we tried to be creative.

We bought a football party pack of decorations (thanks to the fact that it's SuperBowl time)

We bought frozen pizzas and made them into football pizzas

We bought football cupcake papers and squeeze icing and let the kids each decorate their own football cupcakes

We made facepaint and painted the kids' faces with numbers of their favorite players or goalposts, etc.

They played blindfolded punter using a balloon as a football, and made an obstacle course they had to run while hanging onto the football. They had a little football toy they tried to get kick a ball through the goal posts and everyone went home with a balloon. The experienced football fans in our crowd stayed and showed us how to use our new football game on the Wii.

Code of Chivalry

This was Dd#1's assignment, but Dd#2 helped. They had the idea & brewed the coffee to stain the paper and they chose the layout and words. I just showed them how to put out the edges once they set them on fire. It turned out way cooler than the picture shows.

I. To be gentle to the weak
II. To be courageous to the strong
III. To be terrible to the wicked
IV. To defend the weak
V. Women shall be held sacred
VI. To defend each other
VII. To be merciful to all men
VIII. To be gentle to all men
IX. To be true in friendship
X. To be faithful in love

Filling our day with hugs

I know I haven't been blogging much, lately. Our moments are filled with lots of school, trying to keep up on the house (failing, but making a valiant effort) and passing the baby back and forth while we try and get things done.

All the kids have commented on how SWEET it is to pick up the baby and have him hug you. I squeeze him everytime I pick him up, so he's taken to squeezing each person who holds him...it's soooo cooool!!

While I can hardly plan day to day and each day is so different, our days have been so much the same...filled with effort and baby hugs.

Dd#2 is the fabulous photographer of these treasures.

First Reconciliation Craft - Lapbook

An illustration of this is listed on my website at First Reconciliation Lapbook.

Ds#3's First Reconciliation will be tonight. With the pregnancy and birth, I was thankful for CCD. However, his preparation wasn't as complete as the girls' had been (with CCD & preparation at home) and I didn't realize it (or pay attention) until last week. So, we did a crash course. He understood the concept, but not the specific procedures or vocabulary. I'd worked with him early in the school year on the concepts, so he was great on that.

I used Dd#1's lapbook we created for her 1st Reconciliation as the primary "text" to teach him. It turned out to be just perfect.

Here is the lapbook Dd#1 created 4 years ago for her First Reconciliation :

We took a file folder and covered it's front and back with white typing paper (to make it white - with the significance of purity). Then we covered all of that with a fine tule. We also tied gross-grain ribbon on each flap that opens with the bow on the front covers.

Front :

• On the front cover is a booklet she made about The Good Shepherd and the procedures of Reconciliation.
• We also attached a pin she received from her Godparents on the occasion.

Inside :

* In the shape of the 10 commandments, we cut 8 pieces of construction paper that we attached together with string. We folded the 10 commandments and she wrote 1 of each commandment, in her own words, on the inside so it was like a book form. Then, we glued the front and back cover of the commandments so the book was "open" to the inside left of the file folder at the top.

* The piece of accordion folded pink paper you see next to the 10 commandments is the Act of Contrition she wrote out from memory. Then we folded it accordion style and glued the top fold to the center top of the lapbook.

* Below the 10 commandments, is her handprint cut out in 5 different colors. On one finger of each hand she wrote the procedures of Reconciliation. So that on the first handprint, in the thumb she wrote 1. Make the sign of the cross and tell the priest how long it's been since your last confession. On the 2nd hand print in the pointer finger she wrote 2. Confess your sins. On the 3rd handprint in the middle finger she wrote 3. Listen to the priest. On the 4th handprint in the rimg finger she wrote 4. Say the Act of Contrition. On the 5th handprint in the pinky finger she wrote 5. Listen for Absolution. Say Amen. Thank the priest. The handprint booklet was stapled in the bottom of the palm (so that it opened down) to the bottom of the inside left flap.

* We cut heart 3 shapes and stapled them into a booklet on the inside right flap. She wrote Examination of Conscience on the front cover. Opening the booklet on each page she wrote one reflection that she felt applied to her. "Have I said my morning offering?" "Have I minded my parents?" "Have I paid attention in Mass" "Have I talked to God through my day?" "Have I acted like Jesus would to my siblings?"

* She listed her sins in a rectangular booklet we taped at the top and glued to the bottom inside right flap.

*In the middle of the center inside page, we stapled the program the church put together for her First Reconciliation ceremony.

* At the bottom of the center inside page, we stapled a booklet of pictures with her and her friends at the cookie reception after First Reconciliation.

Quote of the Day

Dd#2 running up and down the stairs immediately after Ds#5's birth, not being able to contain herself in wanting to express to someone her heart bursting with love...

He's so SWEET! He's so WONDERFUL! He's so BEAUTIFUL!

Dd#1, less than impressed...

He's so BLUE!!

Jealousy & Thanksgiving & Prayer requests

Anne answered my tag about homeschool books here, and then she went and had her baby before me!! I'm jelous and thrilled for her all at the same time (especially as I'm in pain with this baby kicking the )*(*$ out of me since 3 this morning.

Congratulations, Anne!!!

I was due 3 days ago and no sign of baby, yet. All 6 of us had colds this weekend with a couple kids having it much worse than others. Friends brought in dinner (of which I was sooooo thankful - Thanks Kerri & Julie!) and I'm ...REALLY ready to have a baby (although anxious, too -- as I recall it sort of hurts). My midwife is fine with me waiting another week and a half or so until my body goes into labor --- which is just what I told her I want -- but do I really want to wait?? (picture of my midwife's waiting room last week with some of hers & some of mine all watching TV together first thing in the morning)

I just heard from another friend that her new baby had to be in ICU due to severe breathing problems after a C-section birth at 36 weeks and her new baby blew a hole in her lung from the effort of breathing. She's home now, but has to be on a monitor and has had a couple of episodes where her breathing is an issue. Her parents had to learn CPR before she could go home. Please keep baby Maria in your prayers.

A dear friend of Dd#1 was diagnosed with a recurrance of cancer. She's 12, was in remission from brain cancer 2 years ago & just underwent back surgery, but they couldn't remove all the tumor. She will undergo intensive chemo in the upcomming weeks as she heals from surgery. Please pray for Emilija and her family.

Quote of the Day

Dd#1 and I were analyzing sentences. I asked her

"Is this word a direct object?"

Dd#1

It's the nice word. The happy word. It's "You look nice, today."

It took me a minute to figure out what she was talking about....

Mama

OHHHH, a subject COMPLIMENT.

My Books Came In

I got more than half my books for next year's curriculum last week!!! It's such an exciting feeling. They're waiting on 10 more to see if they come in, and there's another 20 or so that I'll have to order new online. But it's so exciting to get new books. Dd#1 is NOT overly happy, though. She keeps begging me to let her read them now. She even told me I was a mean mom to order new books before she was allowed to start on them. She told me they're taunting her just sitting there, brand new, unread. I have caught her sneaking into them twice, now.

I think she'd even be ready to start regular school days if she could only read some of those books. The other kids though.....do not have such strong siren songs coming from the books at them!

Well, I'm excited, even if no one else is!

Swingset Maintance

We have a plain A-frame swingset. The kids are almost too big for it, but they're not growing out of enjoying it. Thankfully, they also have a tree to climb in the back yard, so that extends their play area.

5 months pregnant, I borrowed our neighbor's power washer -- it was a fun toy!! All the neighbors who got a view of my ever-larger rear end while up on the slide platform thought I shouldn't be up there doing it . However, it was serious instant gratification. The swingset was grey from weathering for 8 years. I thought the wood was that color throughout. I washed it for about an hour and it washed away the grey and got that wood color back. The neighbor's was 12 years old and he did his for 4 hours (serious perfectionist). His wood looks brand new. He's going to sand his. I didn't bother (I'm a serious NOT perfectionist). Besides, most of the splinters I saw were on the top bar and the kids aren't supposed to be up there, anyway. So, if they come in with splinters, I'll know where they've been.

Then we bought a gallon of deck sealer and brushed it on. The kids used brushes & I used a small roller. The first coat took about an hour to put on (Ds#3 & I worked on it together - the other kids pooped out after 10 minutes, the wimps). It soaked in right away. So Ds#3 & Dd#1 put on a second coat, that took about 40 minutes. It dried quickly, but not completely in the hour we waited. Then, the girls & I put on the a third coat (over the not dry 2nd coat - you're not supposed to do that) in about 30 minutes - that finished off the gallon. If you don't need to put on that many coats, it would have only taken 1/2 gallon for the first coat.

We were told to seal our swingset every year. We do it every 3rd year or so to keep down the splinters.

First Friday Fun

Our Catholic homeschool group gets together once a month to celebrate First Friday Mass and has an activity aferwards. The activity varies, but we try to keep it free, easy & of wide appeal. Some months the activities are the same year to year.

• June is a highschool graduation ceremony & party.
• July & August is just a park day after Mass - bring your own picnic.
• September is some sort of Field Day activities, although last year, it worked out better to do this the following Saturday when the Dads could participate.
• November is usually an All Saints party.
• December has been an Advent play.
• January is caroling at a Catholic nursing home (other places think you're crazy to sing Christmas Carols on January 4th).
• We usually book a rollerskating rink for a winter month.
• A local homeschool family opens their gymnastics' facilities to us once a year.

Here are some of the activities we've done in the past in the other months :

Square Dancing Class, Spiritual Bouquet banner, zoomobile, rosary making, Gym Day, Creating craft decorations for an upcoming activity, Advent Art display, Bowling, Pre-lent Carnival, & Winter Olympics coinciding with the President's Physical Fitness Day.

In May, the First Communicants crown Mary, every child has an opportunity to bring her flowers, and this year we did a sidewalk chalk rosary. Sometimes, there are miscommunications, so not very many people stayed...but the girls were dedicated - the boys mostly wrestled in the parkinglot after each doing their own cross or some religous symbol in chalk. The girls' huge creation says "Pray the Rosary."

Dd#1 is on the left squinting because of the sun.

What a difference a haircut can make!

On Saturday, Dd#1 and I woke up and went to Great Clips to have a change. I'd been letting my hair grow out for 2 years because Ds#3 loves long hair. It's not often it's OK to please a fellow whom I adore (who isn't my husband) just so he can look at me with loving glances. It was sooo sweet. But sweet or not, all that hair was driving me crazy. I finally decided to take my head back and get what I wanted.

Dd#1 has been having a hard time keeping her hair brushed throughout the day. The longer it got, the more she just wore it up to be easy.

Since we got it cut she's told me about 27 times a day "Mama, I LOVE my haircut!!" She says she feels like a different person. It can be so much fun being a girl!!

Science Fair Quotes 2007

Mama "What do you want to do for your science fair project?"

Dd#2 "I want to set something on FIRE!"

Daddy "No way in ..."

Mama "What about making a volcano instead?"

Dd#2 "An explosion? YEAH! I want to make a HUGE explosion!"

...later while doing the experiment...

Dd#2 "Why CAN'T I put cupfuls of baking soda with cupfuls of vinegar!!! Using Tablespoons is BORING!"

~~~~~~~~

While waiting for judging...

Dd#2 "This doesn't seem much like a fair!"

~~~~~~~~~

Dd#2 "Do I have to do this next year?"
Mama "Only if you win."
Dd#2 "I hope I don't win!"
Judge "And the 2nd place winner for 3rd grade is..."

Dd#2 I can't quite spell the moan that came out of her. She was very unhappy. Her Mama was pretty proud, though!
~~~~~~~~~

I was really proud of all the kids. Dd#1 did an excellent job with almost no parental involvement. Ds#3 wrote out everything himself.

~~~~~~~~~

Ds#3 woke me up with his trophy in his hand.
Mama "Honey, why are you carrying that around?"
Ds#3 "This is my first trophy I've ever had in my whole life!"
Mama "Are you going to carry it around for the whole day?"
Ds#3 "YES!"

~~~~~~~~~

Ds#4 "I'm sad that I didn't get a trophy. I wanted to do a science fair."

So, this morning before school, all the kids set up their science projects and display boards and let Ds#4 do projects and give presentations telling what he did.

Aren't they sweet children?

Romance is...

Romance is...

... my dear husband letting me throw a Pampered Chef party when he DOESN'T like parties (and he'd prefer I not spend more money).

... my dd#2 making me a huge bag of valentine's cards (when she was supposed to be in her room in time out) and so excited that she's tried to give them to me everyday for a week "...but not until Valentine's day, sweetie."

... my dear husband not complaining when he walks in the house and I'm on the computer, again, and the house is still a mess (and not nearly clean enough to have a Pampered Chef party) and he doesn't say a word!

... ds#3 running downstairs after getting ready for bed in his daddy's white t-shirt and throwing himeself on my lap "Mama, I just wanted to cuddle you."

... my dear husband putting 4 kids to bed (multiple times a night when needed) because I've had my fill of kids during the day.

... my ds#4 writing his name 40 times to make his valentine's and not complaining once when some of the bigger kids were whinning.

... my dear husband letting me watch the show I want to watch knowing that he'll miss his show.

... my dd#1 walking up to me silently to hug me 4 or 5 times a day. Why? "Because I like to hug you."

... my dear husband helping with all of the science expiraments so the kids can be in the science fair when he didn't even think they needed to be in the fair (this hasn't happened, yet, but it's slated for this weekend...isn't he GREAT?)

Ancient Crete and the Minoans

To close up our week, we learned ancient Minoans had fresco paintings on their walls. Using Teaching History Through Art, we made fresco paintings of our own. Dd#1 made a Minoan woman, Dd#2 made flowers, Ds#3 made a Minoan ship, and Ds#4 made a huge blue mess!
It was incredibly cool and after I put down the camera, I couldn't help but make some myself (I made Valentine hearts on cardstock). I could hardly pull Dd#2 away from the table. We paint all the time (note Dave's shirts we stole for paint shirts), but the colors, textures, and depth of fresco was seriously kewl!

Teaching Reading

I do not enjoy teaching my children to read. It is a tedious process fraught with frustration on the child's part no matter how sweetly I present it. It is hard work for all of us. My relationship with Christ and the Catholic spiritual practices I participate in allow me to be open to the graces to be more patient, more encouraging, and more loving in the heart of a sometimes difficult task.

Both my husband and I have a love of books and have many books available for the children, even as babies. All of our children were fascinated with books as toddlers because of the children's books they were given free access to. It's not the amount that counts, but the free access and seeing books as a priority by the people around you.

Each of my children have learned to read on my lap with a lot of encouragement and positive reinforcement. Some of the children's learning style dictated continuation of the reading lessons with hands-on games and activities.

The youngest two, who are still in the process of learning to read, began the process on their own, accidentally. It was the end of the school year, and I felt pressured to finish our books before we ended for the summer. Hoping for some uninterrupted time with the older children, I plopped the younger two in front of the TV with a learning video every day for two weeks. At the conclusion of school and the start of summer break, I turned my attention to my 5 year old asking for his help cutting out letters to teach him the names and sounds of them. He patiently informed me that he already knew them. I knew I hadn't taught him and last month he didn't know them. He insisted he was right. To prove to him that he needed to let me teach him, I held up letter after letter out of order. He knew 18 sounds out of 26 and some of the names. I tested the 3 year old and had a similar experience. After watching Leap Frog's Letter Factory, they had begun the process without me at ages 5 and 3. Now, at 6 and 4 they are both about half-way through the year to 2 year process of learning to read well, with the 4 year demanding to get his "reading time, too!"

Our children are exposed to read alouds and books at an early age. They are free to begin the process when ever they ask to learn to read. Two of our children have done that in preschool. If they haven't learned before, formal reading lessons begin in 1st grade with the materials we have in our school (homemade Montessori materials, Little Stories for Little Folks, Sing Spell Read & Write readers and games - I would NOT advise anyone to buy this new, and Abeka early readers) on Mom's lap on the couch. We continue practicing one skill, for example sounding out letters to make words, until they have pretty much accomplished it switching to other readers at the same level as needed for practice. Once they have, relatively, mastered a skill, we move on to the next level, for example vowel variations, moving among the various readers until they have enough practice to become competent in that skill. Depending on the child, it can take 1-2 years to completely work through the process and they are reading securely on a second grade level. I do not introduce spelling or language arts until they are reading securely on a second grade level.

Will they turn me in?

This... is our old couch. I tried to give it away. All the organizations I called to donate it told me that it didn't meet their standard. I was left to leave it outside for the garbage truck. Outside. In the snow. Dd#1 said, "It looks so lonely." It was the first piece of new furniture I'd ever bought. It was cheap. It's over a decade old. I'm thrilled to get rid of it. But, as I told Amy, leaving a piece of upholstered furniture out -- in the snow -- overnight, it just seems wrong - like writing in a book.

I stood across the street to take the pictures. Ds#4 is peeking out the door, even though I told him to keep the door shut!

This will clear the way to organize our library (living room) into centers so it's more condusive for educational activities. We'll see if this works...but this was first step -- out with the old...

Dave thought it was odd that I was taking pictures of our trash. He also thinks we may get a letter of complaint from our addition.

Homeschooling, the old fashioned way

We've been catching up in school. I wasn't behind, but we weren't where I wanted to be. So, I've been trying to get us caught up. The kids, as usual, have been fine with the work load - I'm the one struggling. Last night I started feeling better from my cold, but didn't get around for writing lesson plans for the week. So...today we played with the Spanish & Health collections of books I got from the wonderful, God-bless-it, library (I just love those people and keep them in my prayers.) I had the girls work through the scientific method of their upcoming science fair projects. (Since I put off the registration and it was due TODAY. Remember what happened with the poetry contest deadline?) They didn't do the experiment, but wrote up their titles, their objective, what they were measuring, a list of needed materials, a brief procedure list of what they're experiment entails, and what they think will happen. They each wrote them out on separate wipe-off boards. Then they had to collect as much of the materials as they could so we could make a shopping list. To accomplish this we had a "business meeting" with Daddy. Dave had us put him on speaker phone, so we could all confer about how best to accomplish this using true science - not just Jenn's twisted idea of what I wish science was like. Between the 2 girls, that took a portion of the day (while I did dishes, etc). So we spent hours on just a few subjects. It sure put the fun back in school, today! Well...I had fun.